Sr Manager, Software Engineering

About the role

This role sits in the Commerce Architecture & Security organization within Disney Experiences Technology (DXT).

Responsibilities

• Solution Architecture Leadership
• Lead and develop a team responsible for end-to-end solution architecture, from concept through delivery and lifecycle management.
• Provide hands-on architectural leadership across complex, multi-system initiatives spanning digital and physical Guest experiences.
• Guide teams in analyzing, designing, programming, debugging, and enhancing software solutions across diverse computing environments.
• Evaluate and embrace appropriate AI tools and solutions both within your team, and as part of the projects and programs you enable.
• Business & Solution Alignment
• Develop a deep understanding of business objectives and translate them into solution architectures that are scalable, secure, and aligned to delivery timelines.
• Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to shape solution scope, sequencing, and trade-offs.
• Architecture Design & Governance
• Own solution-level architectural decisions, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, platform strategies, and security requirements.
• Establish and enforce solution architecture patterns, reference architectures, and design guidelines.
• Lead and participate in architecture reviews to validate solution designs and mitigate risk early.
• Technology Roadmaps & Delivery Enablement
• Contribute to and consume enterprise and platform roadmaps to inform solution planning.
• Supervise delivery optimization for large-scale or complex programs, ensuring architectural integrity throughout implementation.
• Support estimation, planning, and dependency management across portfolios.
• Risk, Quality & Metrics
• Identify and manage technical risk, security considerations, performance concerns, and technical debt at the solution level.
• Define, review, and evolve metrics that measure solution health, reliability, and scalability.
• Ensure operational readiness, supportability, and long-term sustainability of delivered solutions.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
• Act as a key liaison between Engineering, Product, Platform, Architecture, and Technology leadership.
• Communicate architectural decisions clearly to executive, technical, and non-technical audiences.
• Identify opportunities where existing capabilities or platforms can be leveraged to accelerate delivery and improve outcomes for Cast and Guests.
• Ensure your partner teams are set up for successful delivery and operation of new or enhanced capabilities.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement
• Proactively track and assess emerging technologies, patterns, and industry trends.
• Recommend pragmatic innovations that improve delivery speed, quality, and Guest experience.

Requirements & Skills

• Minimum 10 years of related experience with demonstrated expertise in:
• Software Engineering Technical Design
• Solution and Enterprise Architecture
• Software Engineering Delivery and Leadership
• Proven experience designing and delivering highly scalable, high-volume, distributed systems in Agile environments.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native architectures, integration patterns, APIs, infrastructure, data flows, and security-by-design.
• Experience leading and mentoring Principal Software Architects & Engineers and technical leaders.
• Ability to balance architectural rigor with delivery pragmatism.
• Strong analytical skills with experience identifying and mitigating technical risk and technical debt.
• Executive-level written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort with public speaking and presenting to varied audiences (executive, engineering, and cross-functional forums).
• Experience collaborating within hybrid organizations (centralized architecture with federated delivery teams).
• Budget and forecast management experience.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture concepts and frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, ArchiMate)
• Strong understanding of the relationship between Business Partners, Project/Program Management, Product, Architecture, Engineering, and Testing functions.
• Familiarity with AI tools and approaches as applied to Software Architecture & Engineering.

Qualifications

• Education
• Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or a comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.

Additional Information

Position location: Orlando, Florida or Glendale, California
The hiring range for this position in Florida is $175,000-$210,000 per year and California is $185,000-$240,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

About Disney Experiences

Disney Experiences brings the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products and more around the world. Disney shines in the travel industry with six resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; and an award-winning guided family adventure business. Plus, Disney's global consumer products operations include the world's leading licensing business; the world's largest children's publishing brands; one of the world's largest licensors of games across all platforms; and Disney store locations around the world and on the web.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

About Walt Disney Attractions Technology LLC

Walt Disney Attractions Technology LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.